I chose to play Factorio as part of the Games for Change review and podcast. It was a fun experience, and yes, it does make it clear how it feels about the environment. The basic mechanics of the game are to collect resources to expand your factory to complete all types of technology and all planets. However, in the process of doing this, the trees will die, the water will get polluted, and the local ecosystems of bugs will inflict damage across your base. During my playthrough, we didn’t get too far; we only made it about 5 hours in. However, I was playing with experienced people, so they helped me get some of the information. The game does a good job at making it clear what you are doing, and you start to feel bad as you see the slow progression of what happens to the world due to overmining and pollution.
The major mechanics are: mine and collect resources, grow your factory, and watch the pollution rise. There is actually a pollution meter in-game, as you can see how much damage you are causing, and what material is causing it. Overall, the game was fun to play. I am unsure if I would play it again.
